V-Mart appoints Varin Agarwal as merchandising head. ET Online Last Updated: Nov 03, 2026, 05:50:00 PM IST V-Mart Retail has appointed Varin Agarwal as the new head of merchandising effective November 3, 2026. The appointment follows the company's recent financial report, which shows a net loss of Rs 16.34 crore for the September quarter. Agarwal previously served in a leadership capacity at US Mobile, contributing to significant revenue growth and improving customer experiences. V-Mart Retail has appointed Varin Agarwal as head of merchandising, designating him as a senior management personnel, the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. The appointment comes as the value fashion retailer reported a net loss of Rs 16.34 crore for the September quarter. The appointment was approved by the company's Nomination and Remuneration Committee and is effective November 3, 2026. Agarwal joined V-Mart in 2024 and has experience across buying, merchandising, product assortment and category management. He holds a bachelor's degree from New York University's Stern School of Business. You May Like Before joining V-Mart, he served as head of strategy, operations and growth at US Mobile, where he was involved in an 82% revenue growth within 14 months and led a customer experience team of more than 350 people. He has also worked with Kearney and Build Republic. Q2 earnings V-Mart Retail reported a net loss of Rs 16.34 crore in the second quarter of FY27, compared with a net loss of Rs 8.87 crore in the year-ago period. Revenue from operations rose 18.1% year-on-year to Rs 952.99 crore, against Rs 806.87 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Total expenses stood at Rs 976.37 crore, compared with Rs 823.91 crore a year earlier. EBITDA increased to Rs 86.06 crore from Rs 71.51 crore in the year-ago quarter. For the first half of FY27, revenue from operations stood at Rs 2,041.80 crore, compared with Rs 1,692.09 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the six-month period rose to Rs 30.87 crore from Rs 24.73 crore. Promoter group reclassification The company's board also approved the reclassification of Raghav Agarwal and Ditya Agarwal from the promoter group to the public category, subject to approval from the stock exchanges. The two individuals have no shareholding in the company. V-Mart said they meet the conditions for reclassification under Regulation 31A(3)(b) of the SEBI Listing Regulations.

ASTS stock could get A New catalyst: US Mobile sets sights on Q4 AST SpaceMobile launch. Published: Aug 31 2026, 11:00 AM IST * FB * TW * Linkdin * Whatsapp * GNFollow Us US Mobile is also targeting Starlink Direct to Cell by late Q4 as part of its "terrestrial + celestial" strategy. * US Mobile plans to introduce AST SpaceMobile-powered direct-to-cell coverage on its Verizon-based Warp network in Q4. * The service would connect ordinary smartphones to satellites when users move beyond terrestrial cellular coverage. * AST SpaceMobile fully deployed BlueBirds 12 and 13, whose large arrays can support speeds of about 200 Mbps. Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) head into August's final trading session on Monday down 1.6% for the month, leaving the stock within reach of snapping a two-month losing streak as US Mobile targets a fourth-quarter (Q4) launch of its direct-to-cell service. ASTS stock fell nearly 6% on Friday and ended the week down 15%, marking its third consecutive weekly loss and its worst performance in more than a month. US Mobile targets Q4 AST SpaceMobile launch. In a Reddit update, Ahmed Khattak, US Mobile's CEO, said the carrier plans to introduce AST SpaceMobile-powered coverage on Warp, its Verizon-based network, during the fourth quarter. "On direct-to-cell specifically, AST SpaceMobile is coming to Warp and is currently slated for Q4," he said. Verizon is a commercial partner and investor in AST SpaceMobile. The upcoming service would allow US Mobile customers to connect through satellites when terrestrial cellular coverage is unavailable, using ordinary smartphones. US Mobile is also targeting Starlink Direct to Cell toward the end of the fourth quarter, positioning the two satellite systems as coverage layers alongside its three terrestrial networks. "I do not think satellite will replace terrestrial cellular networks because the physics simply do not support that, but I think it is going to be an incredible coverage layer," the CEO said. Terrestrial networks can reuse spectrum across millions of relatively small cells, giving them far more capacity, he said. Satellites, however, can fill gaps in places where conventional towers do not exist. "By Q4, the direction should be pretty clear: three terrestrial networks, Starlink for off grid connectivity, direct to cell when terrestrial coverage disappears and Fixed Wireless at home, all increasingly orchestrated through one platform," Khattak said. "Not terrestrial OR celestial. Terrestrial + celestial." US Mobile opens platform to satellite partners. US Mobile has already integrated Starlink internet into its platform and is working toward tighter integration between terrestrial and satellite connectivity. The CEO sees a future in which customers could travel to remote locations, connect using a portable satellite terminal and receive support through the same platform used for conventional wireless service. "No tower anywhere around you. Doesn't matter," he said. US Mobile's platform can also incorporate additional "celestial partners" as they become available, Khattak added. The carrier recently crossed 1.1 million active subscribers and extended the agreement powering Warp into the next decade under a deal valued at over $1 billion. ASTS fully deploys BlueBird 12 and 13. Last week, AST SpaceMobile fully deployed BlueBird satellites 12 and 13, which launched with BlueBird 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 earlier this month. Each next-gen satellite carries a 2,400-square-foot array designed to deliver voice, broadband and text directly to standard smartphones, with peak speeds approaching 200 Mbps. BlueBird 14 is complete, while BlueBirds 15 and 16 are nearing completion and production is advancing through BlueBird 48. AST SpaceMobile is targeting six fully assembled satellites per month and 45 in orbit by early 2027, with its global constellation eventually expected to exceed 100. How do retail traders feel about ASTS? On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS has been 'bearish' over the past week amid 'extremely high' message volume. Stay updated with all the latest Business News, including market trends, Share Market News, stock updates, taxation, IPOs, banking, finance, real estate, savings, and investments. Track daily Gold Price changes, updates on DA Hike, and the latest developments on the 8th Pay Commission. Get in-depth analysis, expert opinions, and real-time updates to make informed financial decisions. Download the Asianet News Official App from the Android Play Store and iPhone App Store to stay ahead in business. 0 Comments / 0 New